What's In Your Diet Wednesday? - Raw Food You Say??

I'm a lover of all foods....with a caveat....I don't love many of the more what I would call "exotic" foods that are readily eaten in other countries.  Lips, eyes, intestines etc. while I'm not saying never....I'd have to be really hungry starving first.....

I love meats of all description...and have certainly eaten more varieties than most people...as well as fruits of every color and flavor that I know of...

Never was a big vegetable eater...other than the standard fare...corn, peas, grean beans, etc.  I do love vegetable of all kinds, just not the cooked variety.  Broccoli, carrots, celery, cabbage and countless others I could eat all day long...as long as they are not cooked.  I don't know if it is a texture thing with me but it's been that way as long as I can remember.

I've heard of the raw diets for years and never paid much attention...but they seem to have attracted quite a following....and I can see why.

Read this short article on raw diets from Freedomyou....

Raw Diet

Time set aside for healing, detoxification, weight loss and breaking addiction

Let me start by way of a disclaimer: Freedomyou does not advocate permanently restricting your diet to raw foods. The nutrients in some foods cannot be assimilated properly unless cooked.  Also, food has importance beyond its nutritional worth. Rawtarians may argue the virtues of their restrictive diet, but how does one quantify the value of a delicious well-prepared meal? The mélange of color, fragrance and taste says it all. 

Much like fasting, a raw diet is a set period of time for cleansing and healing and can also be extremely effective in weight loss and overcoming food addictions. In some ways it is more effective than fasting. Due to the bulking nature of all raw foods and the fact that your digestive system is still active, you can actually experience greater weight loss during a raw diet than when juice fasting, ingesting less calories while metabolism remains normal. Juice fasting allows a break from hunger whereas a raw diet forces you to face both hunger and craving together.

There is a learning curve when trying to change from a diet containing a lot of toxic food to a healthy diet. Eating only raw food simplifies it all. Think about it, restricting intake to raw foods does away with the unhealthy elements found in our common diet, establishing a new eating mindset. This is important because most of the battle is in the mind.

Raw fruits and vegetables are fabulous mucus-cleansers. They facilitate the removal of excess mucus and toxins, supplying vital nutrients in correct balance for rejuvenation and healing. Protective compounds and phytochemicals support the immune system and ward off aging. Studies have shown people who eat a generous amount of fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis have the least amount of all types of cancers. 

Raw fruit and vegetables are filled with enzymes. A high source of these enzymes is in the green leaves of plants which help protect the body from many cancers.

Tailoring your Raw diet

Craft a raw diet according to the goals you have set. Looking for a safe, fast way to lose weight? Then reduce heavy foods like raw nuts and manna bread and increase low-calorie, bulking veggies. If detoxifying is your goal, then incorporate more fresh juice, and eat lots of greens and color-rich fruits like melons. Wanting to break food addictions? Then I suggest not limiting the richer foods, especially on the front end. After ten days, you can start to cut back and see how you feel. Some may naturally transition into juice fasting. Be sensitive to your body, but more importantly, stay in tune with where the Holy Spirit is leading with this open door you have given Him.

As I have said before, this will not be easy, so be prepared to face some painful emotions. You can do this one day at a time. When discouraged, focus on the amazing good you are doing your body and how liberating it will feel to be back in control of your eating.

As mentioned in the beginning of this article...a permanent raw food diet should NOT be attempted... but rather as a temporary addition to your dietary needs.  Most importantly, listen to your body and do what feels right to YOU...

Have you ever tried the raw food diet?  I have a friend who swears by juice cleanses....Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Hearth and Soul Hop - Volume 39

I had a good weekend as always....Spending time with my boys and taking them to visit their granddad in eastern Oklahoma.  For them it is always a special treat...as they explore the remote areas of granddad's land and have endless adventures along the way.  The thought of television, video games, or computers never cross their mind for as long as we are there.  Rather they think of skipping rocks in the pond, fishing, horseback riding and all of the other things that boys love to do....

As all have heard by now....the people of Japan have experienced a mind-numbing tragedy that most of us can only imagine.  People have lost their lives, livelihoods and every possession to the whims of Mother Nature....  It is important to do what you can to help...donating to charity, opening your home or giving of your time to help. 

It's time like these that I realize that my paltry trials and concerns mean nothing compared to the suffering of others and I remind myself to smile every morning when I wake up and have my life, family, and health.....for these things are truly temporary...and should be cherished every day.

If you haven't done it yet....This is a shameless request for you to follow my blog by clicking on the RSS feed....or with the Google Follow Me button on the left colum of the page.  Thank you!

The Hearth and Soul Hop is born as a continuation and expansion of the Two for Tuesday Recipe Blog Hop and we hope you will join with us in sharing our beliefs that food not only nourishes our bodies, but our souls! To really get clear on what we are talking about, please check out our nifty new mission statement!

Hearth and Soul Mission:

Food from your hearth, to feed your soul. Food that follows your intuition. Preparing food from scratch to nourish your family…body, mind AND soul! Food made with your own hands…infused with energy and passion and intent. Real food made by real people to feed real families (big and small, in blood or spirit). Ingredients from scratch, be it something grown in your garden or raised on your land…food foraged in the field or woods…food from local farms, farmers, or farmers markets…or even ingredients chosen by you from your local market that will be turned into something that feeds your soul. Tapping the food memory that each of us has stored inside; letting it guide and influence our own time in the kitchen.

We hope to embrace not only the “expected” areas of real food, but also those who want to incorporate healthier choices without sacrificing their love of food…how it tastes, the memories it conjures up, the comfort it brings. Yes, we’re trying to steer clear of packaged, processed, and boxed foods in favor of real foods….without absolutely excluding the sometimes frowned upon white sugar or flour (because the body craves what it craves…and sometimes things just don’t taste the same when you replace these). Making conscious choices and being present in the now with what your body needs…and taking steps towards exploring and enjoying healthier choices. If you take the time to listen, your body will tell you what it needs.

The warm comfort of the home hearth…stories, anecdotes, lessons, adventures, journeys, recipes, meals, beverages…we want to share the “why” of how food feeds more than just our bodies…how it also feeds our souls. After all, aren’t these the essential ingredients in defining real food? Please share links from your Hearth ‘n Soul with us each week.

Rules for linking:

Please use your best blog hop etiquette when linking. The rules are in place to help everyone have the best blog hop experience possible. Because of the overwhelming success of Two for Tuesday, a few changes have been made in the rules, so we kindly ask you to please review them so we can all be on the same page.

If you are new to a blog carnival, or blog hop, it is very easy to learn how to join in the fun! Simply go to the blog post for that carnival and scroll down to the bottom where you will see a small box that will say, Your Next or Your link here. When you click on that link, you will be asked to enter the URL of your recipe or article. Please link to your article only and not directly to your blog front page. The linky may ask you to upload a photograph from your computer, then you click next and leave a comment on the blog hosts post. You will also be asked to place a link back to the blog host, which means, adding in the URL of the blog hop post which you can copy from your browser address bar and insert at the bottom of your post. You could also choose to place a blog badge into your post, which was explained below. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

*A host will visit each link and read and comment on your post before the next linky period opens, because this is personal for us…we want you to know that we appreciate that you’ve taken the time to create a post, add a link back to the hop, and add your link! We’ll be sure to acknowledge this with a comment and a tweet on Twitter (using hashtag #hsoul).

-One link per week, please

-Must include a link back to one/any of the host sites (through worded link or badge) in individual post, not on sidebar…although we love having links on your page, as well (this benefits all of us). You will be sent a gentle reminder if no link is added to your post, we understand that sometimes people forget…but if it becomes a regular occurrence, (even though we don’t like to do it) your post may be removed. It’s just not fair to those who do take the time and show the grace to link back.

-Try to link a post that you think fits into the mission. You don’t have to link up every week…link up when you can. We welcome posts that are shared in other events. If you have an older, archived post that you want to add, we welcome that…as long as you go in and add a link back to Hearth ‘n Soul

-Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Let the fun begin!!!

Thanks! Alex@Amoderatelife, Christy@frugalcrunchychristy, Butterpoweredbike@HungerandThirst, and Jason of Alternative Health and Nutrition

More Information for Those New to Blog Hopping!

...You veterans can just scroll down to the linky!

What is a blog hop you ask? Well, you can find out by visiting my Hearth and Soul Blog Hop page for a complete explanation, but basically, it is a way to link together various foodie love blogs so that you can enjoy many new healthy food recipes that you might not have been exposed to before!

Right now, A Moderate Life,  Hunger and Thirst, Frugalcrunchychristy, and Alternative Health & Nutrition are teaming up to share the Blog Hop with their audiences. If you haven't been to their blogs before, then you certainly should, as they are tremendously creative cooks who are passionate about health and food and all are taking steps to cook more wholesome and soul nourishing food. This means you get exposure to four blog audiences for the price of one link, so we should really rename this 5 for Tuesday! :)

So, please link a recipe using the linky tools below and your link will be shared over 5 different blogs and with 5 different blog audiences. Recipes should include healthy ingredients and can be old or new recipes or posts. Articles on real food, slow food, foraging, herbal remedies, local food, sustainable food, organics, gardening or any healthy eating information is also welcome. Each participant's link will be tweeted and given a high quality feedback comment to increase your exposure.

Please use your best blog carnival etiquette and use the URL to your post, and not your blog landing page. Please post a link in your article back to the blog you are using the Linky Tools with and if you want to, please share the hearth and soul hop badge listed below to promote the Blog Hop. We would ask you to subscribe to our feed and Tweet the Blog Hop as well if you would be so kind!

IMPORTANT LINKING INFO: YOU MUST RESIZE YOUR THUMBNAIL TO BUTTON SIZE 150
pxl OR SO TO WORK WITH THE LINKY. THIS IS A NEW REQUIRMENT AND ALL LINKIES
WILL NEED IT. SORRY FOR THE INCOVENIENCE BUT TO KEEP A THUMBNAIL LINKY WE
HAVE TO DO THIS.

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1. Grasshopper Pie 2. REUBENS made w/ homemade Corned Beef 3. Fizzy Spruce Soda @ Hunger and Thirst 4. Fir Tip Shortbread @ Cauldrons & Crockpots 5. Butternut Squash Penne Pasta 6. a cooks wisdom 7. Mushrooms With Bacon & Wine 8. Broccoli and Bacon Risotto @ Sense of Home 9. How to find local free-range eggs!! 10. Amish Beef Gravy at a Moderate life! 11. Triflavor Saffron Pista Choco Creamy Icecream 12. Ruben Hot Pocket 13. Broccoli Curry Udon 14. Spicy Chipotle Fish Tacos 15. Rajma Chawal 16. Baked French Toast Sticks 17. Rainbow Sorbet 18. Peruvian Seafood Ceviche from Bibberche 19. Ground Lamb & Peas with spices 20. Beef Mechado 21. Strawberry Bread with Lemon Honey Butter 22. Spaghetti Squash & Ruby Chard Lasagna 23. Urban Dweller's DIY 24. Rapidly Roasted Herb Crusted Chicken w/ Vegetables 25. Shrimp and Vegetable Risotto 26. Rotini Pasta with Chicken and veggies 27. Capsules, Pastilles, Lozenges, Electuaries, Gels 28. Easy Chocolate Cupcakes 29. Mushroom Pilaf 30. Peanut Butter Balls 31. Apple and Cinnamon Swirl Bread 32. Crunchy Roasted Potatoes and Carrots 33. Part 2 of how r diets changed in the 20th century 34. Fesenjoon, Persian New Year, and Pomegranate 35. Beef Sorta Stir Fry 36. Flourless Brownies 37. Retrenching. . . Day 1 38. Shamrock Pretzel Cupcakes 39. St. Patty's Day Ice Cream 40. Breakfast Quesadillas 41. STORING EGGS 42. Fresh Green Haricot Vert with Roasted Vegetables 43. Nutritious Asparagus Soup with Lemon Sauteed Tips 44. Tomato Herb Focaccia 45. Orange Cheesecake 46. Chocolate Pound Cake 47. White Bean Garlic Pizza Sauce 48. Red Beans & Rice 49. 2 Homemade Breads & 2 Dog Biscuits 50. Easy Oven Barbecued Chicken 51. Citrusy Fish w/ Kale 52. Moms for Safe Food - Homemade Chicken Pot Pie 53. Batangas Lomi 54. Chewy Granola Bars (Shirley @ gfe) 55. Irish Beef Hand Pies 56. Simple & Nourishing Bread Pudding @ Frugal Granola 57. Banana-Chip Yogurt & Freezer Cooking 58. Lemon Chicken Breasts 59. Meyer Lemon Roasted Chicken 60. Cultured, Raw, Grass Fed Butter - Real Food Dudes 61. Great Grandma's Coconut Custard Pie 62. Irish Soda Bread 63. Black Bean Soup 64. Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Shank Soup 65. Eggless Chocolate Orange Mousse 66. Amy's Favorite Chicken Sald (Gluten Free) 67. Crunchy Pecan Cookies (Andreas Kitchen) 68. Vegan GF SF Coconut Banana Cream Pie 69. St. Louis-style Pizza 70. Tuscany Rice and Bean Soup 71. Masala Kheema Shepherd's Pie-a spicy Indian twist! 72. Beef Stoganoff 73. Crispy snack 74. VIDEO/RECIPE: Coconut Flour Bread 75. Molasses Spice Icecream Sandwiches 76. Red Pepper Pesto 77. Garlic-Oregano Roasted Potatoes 78. Meatless Cookbooks & Lemongrass Chickpea Stew 79. Spinach Ravioli 80. Orange-Garlic Lo Mein Chicken 81. Brine a Brisket for Corned Beef 82. Sugar Donut Muffins 83. Asian Chicken 84. Tomato Paneer Kadhi 85. Grilled Vegetable Ciabatta 86. Bagna Cauda 87. Cole Slaw 88. Lemon Pasta with Norwegian Salmon 89. Fruited Acorn Squash 90. Spinach Zucchini Soup with White Beans 91. Michelle ~ Buttermilk Satsuma Pie 92. Beef Roast Stew/ Soup Using Leftovers 93. lunch box pies 94. Lentils, Pasta, Cilantro-Scented Onions and Chard 95. Marbled Irish Cream Brownies

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